This novel has a lot of elements I enjoy: art and photography, San Francisco, start-up culture, coffee culture, coding, travel, and a bit of sci-fii, a bit of mystery. Yet. It’s the story of an unambitious college grad with a “fuzzy” degree (ie not engineering/IT) who works his butt off moderating content at a start-up for a new dating app. He finds a bug in the system that seems to transport him to another place. It’s a mystery. As is the point of the novel to me. Is it a treatise on corporate greed? An exhortation to find one’s true path? A 3.5 rounded up for the elements listed at the top. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review. #JoshReidel #PleaseReportYourBugHere

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book! I had a hard time rating this one because it wasn’t what I was expecting and I don’t want that to cloud my review, but ultimately I found this book uninteresting for the most part. And then when it started to get good (ie the portals actually come into play), it either went over my head or was poorly explained.

Ethan Block moved to San Fransisco after graduation, looking to be part of the next big app. His job at DateDate, endlessly checking flagged photos, isn’t quite how he imagined his life. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he decides to look at his top match on his company’s app. Clicking on her profile, he finds himself transported to a grass field, struggling for breath; a moment later, he is back in his office. To get people to believe him, Ethan knows he will need evidence. As DateDate is bought by the biggest tech company in San Fransisco, Ethan has to determine who and what he can trust as he tries to uncover the secret behind what causes these glitches in DateDate.

Author Josh Riedel was the first employee for Instagram, so I am sure he nailed the portrayal of working for both a start-up and large tech company. I have to say the sci-fi part of the book, being transported to a different location by using an app, was what made me want to read the book; however, I was underwhelmed by that storyline in the book. Unfortunately, I did not care for the main character or any of the side characters in the story, and that made it hard for me to care about what was happening to them. I think in the end, I was not the right target audience for this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I think I went into reading this book with the idea that it would be similar to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This book is marketed as a science fiction thriller, and it reads definitely more like literary fiction with some fantasy thrown in.

The reason this book did not work for me, was because I never felt a connection with the main character . He wasn’t particularly interesting or likable….and for me-that can make or break a book. The story caught my attention at times…. and confused me at other times. Specifically the Portal.

I love the idea of a multiverse and I was very excited to read this one! I did a combination of reading and listening to the audio version, and it really reminded me of Ready Player One, which I loved. This story takes a critical look at big tech and big companies in general. If you like sci-fi books, this would be a good one to pick up. I didn’t find the ending to be super clear cut. There’s definitely a lot of gray area and so you have to be okay with that kind of ending.

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the gifted copies.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

This book was a romp. I really enjoyed the secretive aspect of the corporate executives balanced by the free-wheeling curiosity of the protagonists - kind of reminded me of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - a great compliment, in my book.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed listening to this! Very interesting plot, and while the characters were not my favorite I didn't hate them. The narrator was good.

This is a decent debut novel by a writer with talent, but I have some qualms that would prevent me from overwhelmingly enjoying it. I am a fan of fantastic realism and the acceptance of the uncanny in storytelling, but the "just go with it" attitude that the characters have with the "bug" in the app that sends people to alternate worlds was just too hard for me to accept. With a world incredibly close to our own, it was just too hard to grasp the idea that it would just be so normal for people to be transported vast distances through an app. The concepts and characters were compelling, I just found that one hurdle just a little too much in terms of my full enjoyment of the story.

That being said, the audio production of this book was fantastic. The narrator did a fantastic job and I really found it easier to listen to than to read, as I was going back and forth between the two mediums whenever it was convenient to access it in either way.

In the past three decades, the rise of the internet has connected people and information across the globe. Before that, there simply wasn't mass global interconnectivity. As the first employee at social media juggernaut Instagram, Josh Riedel had a front-row seat in the company's ascension from a humble start-up to a worldwide phenomenon. He witnessed the way that technology could impact people's lives in both positive and negative ways. Following his time in the tech industry, Riedel pursued his passion for creative writing, seeing many of his short stories featured in various publications. Now he's combined his insider knowledge of big tech with his love of inventive storytelling into his debut novel Please Report Your Bug Here.

There's no denying that Silicon Valley is the place to be. Yes, living in San Fransico is expensive. Yes, Ethan Block has a crippling amount of student loans lingering over every financial decision he considers. But there's something intoxicating about starting an app from the ground up. At least, that's what Ethan told himself when he became the first employee to work for the buzzy dating app DateDate. His idealized enthusiasm for changing the world has given way to a sobering reality that sees him crammed into a cubicle as he manually reviews an ever-growing queue of flagged photos. To make matters worse, Ethan has just ended a serious romance. So much for revolutionizing love.

Reeling from the depression that comes from realizing one's insignificance within the corporate machine, Ethan decides to break one of DateDate's rules. He decides to override the system and find his own soulmate. At least, the one the algorithm says he most perfectly matches with. When he clicks on the profile, Ethan is transported from his dingy startup office to an infinite field of grass. When he thrust back to the office, Ethan is unsure of what just happened. Was this a mental break of some kind, or worse, a severe bug in the code of DateDate?

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a book where the protagonist shares a name with me. Even before I read the full synopsis, I knew I had to read this book. Thankfully, my friends at Henry Holt and Macmillan Audio both shared copies of Please Report Your Bug Here with me. In the book, Riedel vividly illustrates the realities of working for a startup while painting a more romanticized portrait of Silicon Valley. As someone who is emotionally invested in the company but still just an employee, the main character Ethan helps to bridge the gap between the lofty aspirations and harsher truths of technology. Riedel balances this realism with fantastic trips through the multiverse, showcasing a vision of possibility to the most thrilling effect. As I read, I was reminded of the works of Blake Crouch. Like those sci-fi thrillers, Please Report Your Bug Here manages to be both an entertaining page-turner and a book that allows readers to think about the larger implications of our reliance upon technology. It is a tricky balance to strike, but Reidel does so with ease.

Please Report Your Bug Here by Josh Riedel is a contemporary sci-fi/fantasy blend and the author's debut novel. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little under nine and a half hours and is narrated by Torian Brackett. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.

Ethan lives in San Francisco and works for the hot new dating app DateDate. Post-horrible-breakup, Ethan decides to check out who his algorithmically matched soulmate is on the app by overriding the system and clicking on the profile. But then he disappears. Once he blips back to the office, he tries to convince everyone that a coding issue caused his issue.

When I read the official synopsis, it made me think of Cult Classic by Sloan Crosley, which I really enjoyed last year.

I had a lot of fun with this one! I ended up reading it in two main sessions across a period of two days. As an elder millennial, I saw many pieces of myself scattered around many of the different characters in this book. There are a lot of really cool musings here about how people use/are used by technology and technology companies. I particularly liked the exploration regarding technology and art.

The publisher blurb for this book calls it "adrenaline-packed," but I don't know if I'd choose those words to describe it myself. I'd call it something more like speculative fiction with suspenseful elements.

I was confused by some of the story beats, some of the plot meandered a bit, and the ending was okay but I think I wanted a little more from it. I figured these complaints stem from the fact that this is the first novel written by the author. I think he has some really cool ideas and I'm excited to read further stories by him.

CW: child disappearance (occurs prior to novel)

Ethan Block works for DateDate, a new and popular app that combines social media and very detailed questionnaires to help you meet your perfect match, as a content reviewer. When he finally gets matched with someone, he feels the world shift as he finds himself somewhere else momentarily. He's convinced a coding error is behind it but he needs to find proof to convince people of the bug.

I'm a fan of books combining tech companies with some magical realism/speculative fiction (the temps and robin sloan's books to name a few). Being in tech I was entertained by the commentary in this novel regarding these workplaces and found those parts very relatable. I appreciated the satirical tone this one took. The style of storytelling that was more speculative fiction than a twisty thriller and it raised interesting questions about a tech driven world and the importance of human connections. While I was really invested in the mystery, it felt like that side of the story was less fleshed out to make room for the aforementioned speculations and the ending seemed a bit rushed. I still enjoyed this one especially with the narration from Torian Brackett, who nailed the vibe of the book and the characters in his narration.

Thank you so much Henry Holt for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

This book was tough for me to understand and follow. I was not vested in the main character and the storyline simply felt too contrived.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the audio arc in exchange for my review.

3

This was an interesting study on relationships, identity, art, technology, and how they all intersect. A seemingly esoteric niche in the genre of science fiction that was actually really accessible.

A magical realism story about finding oneself set in the cynical world of silicone valley. Going into this book mostly blind the beginning felt very creepy sci-fi horror to me which is not the direction the rest of the book went.

The pacing lagged for me in the middle of the story. There was a lot of information about the tech world that I wasn’t particularly interested in but makes sense given that the author worked at Instagram. While I can appreciate what the ending was going for, I did feel it was a little ambiguous and anticlimactic for the build up. Overall this was interesting but just fell a little short of what I wanted.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I’m sorry, Ethan, but you should have honored that NDA and kept yo mouth shut.

I was so looking forward to this book and the concept it so intriguing to me - a unique coding bug in a dating app has the ability to transport you through space and time - pretty freaking cool, right? It should be.

I think I had a hard time with how they portrayed the tech (called “portals”) throughout the story. First it is seen as a secret and a probable one-off that can’t be repeated. Then we find out it’s part of a larger scheme for monetization and celebs and Richie-Rich’s get to beta test. Somewhere along the line we discover a sort of cover up but then the government shuts portals down and the project will be scrapped.

Honestly, I was a little too easy to tune this book out - especially because Ethan is incredibly boring. Sorry.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

CW/TW: loss of a child, gaslighting

I think this story would only be interesting to a fellow start-up/tech folks. This drags painfully and mires in the details. I'm at about the 10% mark and I have no interest in continuing. The lead is cringey, the pacing is sluggish, and the writing feels like a grocery list rather than any kind of prose. That style works well if the rest is good, but it reads like a draft with the characters and plot aren't there. Like I said, many tech or start-up alums will likely connect with the details here, but without that background, this is a bore. The audio also does this strange in-and-out thing with the narrator's tone? May be worked out before final release though

**Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio Arc**

If you love cerebral reads, eerie covers, and are skeptical of Big Tech, boy is this book going to be for you.

Plus the author was the first employee at Instagram, where I am writing this very review. Very meta. Lord, isn't that what Facebook is called now? Pardon me, while I retire to an internet-free cabin in the woods.

Ethan is working in Silicon Valley as one of the founding members of an up-and-coming dating website. But instead of a fun, creative pursuit he thought it would be, his job is basically just clearing inappropriate photos off of the site. Oh a whim, he decides to check out his top match on the dating website, but unexpectedly he is no longer at his desk but in a field of grass next to an ocean. He quickly appears back at his desk and realizes he's discovered a pretty gigantic BUG. As he investigates, he sees that this goes much deeper than he expected.

This felt like part Uncanny Valley, part behind-the-scenes expose of tech startups, with a big dose of magical realism.

I thought this was a super unique book and loved the strange bedfellows mixture of tech and magical realism. Did I always completely understand what was going on? Absolutely not. But could I put it down? Definitely not. I found it oddly fascinating. Lost in Translation fans will enjoy the many references as well.

Also, with the author being the first employee at Instagram, you know he KNOWS THINGS. Like, where the Instagram skeletons are buried. So the book's commentary and skewering of Big Tech feels even more real.

I enjoyed this weird and somewhat creepy look at tech culture and dating; it got a little too existential for me at one point and I think it would be fun to unpack it with someone. I’ve recommended to my friends who have worked in tech, San Fran and start ups as I think they will find it highly relatable. The audiobook was lively and fun, good diversity and the narrator was very engaging. A few times it was a bit too much yelling for me but I am sensitive to loud noises.

I know zilch about tech, but the premise of this book intrigued me. When I found out the author was Instagram's first employee, that peaked my interest more.

Ethan's works on the app DateDate and the author's portrayal of him was well done, probably because he lived it. DateDate is an odd dating app and there's some magical realism in the story, and I was never quite sure how I felt about it. The OG owner of DateDate is search for his young daughter, who somehow fell into this magical realm.

When DateDate is bought out by the big guys (nice nod to the big companies taking over the tech industry) things took a turn.

I feel this one falls more in the magical realism with some mystery rather than thriller genre. I also didn't find Ethan particularly likeable, and many of the other characters were definitely cold and distant, but that may be what the author was trying to portray in the tech industry.

It was quick, easy read and I found the tech stuff and the storyline engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for an ALC of this one!

If you enjoy tech or have ever worked at a startup you will enjoy this book. I was able to relate to a lot of what the main character was going thru because of this.
I enjoyed the tone and how it waxed philosophical without beating you over the head. I was not a big fan of the ending, so much I had to rewind for fear I missed something. I am hoping for a 2nd novel to follow up.
The audio wa excellent and they got the correct narrator for the main character.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Ethan Block works for the start-up dating app DateDate in Silicon Valley. When a bug begins to plague the system he learned that the app is opening up portals to a different universes.

So the premise of the book sounded intriguing and the narrator does a solid performance of not over performing the emotions. With that said, the book is a bit of a mind game. There is a magical realism/sci-fi feel to the story.

I did spend a lot of time wondering when the story would begin to ramp up; unfortunately by the time I felt like I understood all of the pieces and the characters it was over. The ending was very abrupt and maybe that means we get a book two? It felt unfinished.

I’d consider this book a middle of the road for me. Not terrible but also not mind blowing.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan audio for access to this Audio ARC.